The present invention relates to a clamper for a disk player, which functions so that a recording disk conveyed to a playback position in the body of the disk player by a loading mechanism is pinched in the playback position by a clamping means so as to be held while being rotated for playback.
Well-known is a disk player having a disk conveyor which functions so that a recording disk such as an audio recording disk having a groove in the surface of the disk or a digital audio recording disk recorded with a pulse code modulation signal is conveyed to a playback position while being held by a carriage. The carriage can be protruded out of or retracted into the body of the disk player. A loading mechanism, which is moved in a direction parallel with the disk supporting surface of a spindle motor and in another direction perpendicular to the supporting surface, to convey the recording disk, needs to be provided in order that the recording disk put on the carriage protruded out of the body of the disk player is placed in the playback position on the spindle motor. The loading mechanism requires a clamper which performs an accurate timed action in which a clamping means is moved down to pinch the recording disk on the spindle motor after the recording disk is placed thereon.
The present applicant proposed a clamper shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The clamper is such that a clamper holder D is supported by a support member C of a conveyor fitted on the right and left sub-chassis B of the body of a disk player so as to perform backward and forward movement of a recording disk G. The clamper holder D is moved in a manner timed with the movement of the support member C. The clamping means F of the clamper is moved up and down in conjunction with the placing movement of the recording disk G onto a spindle motor E. Since the conveyor and the clamper, which would originally function separately from each other, are integrally combined with each other in such a manner that the clamper is fitted on the support member C of the conveyor and the conveyor and the clamper act in conjunction with each other, it is easy to time the movement of the conveyor and that of the clamper to each other. However there are drawbacks in that the constitution of the conveyor is complicated and it is difficult to accurately position the clamper and provide an improper action preventive means because both the conveyor and the clamper move.
The present inventors then studied how to construct a conveyor and a clamper separately from each other. As a result, they developed a loading mechanism including new types of conveyors and clampers. One of the clampers is for clamping a disk at a proper time during loading wherein a support member C moves the loading mechanism but is not vertically moved, to place the recording disk in position.
The clamper of the loading mechanism according to the invention has first feature that the recording disk placed on a spindle motor is automatically and surely clamped thereon by utilizing the retraction of a carriage holding the recording disk. The whole loading mechanism is driven by a single motor. A force for driving the clamper is obtained by a means for applying a driving force to the conveyor. The clamper has a second feature that the mutually-connected timed movements of the conveyor and the clamper, the locking and unlocking of the conveyor and the clamper, the vertical movement of the clamper and the controlling of a series of movements of the conveyor and the clamper are all mechanically performed through a clamping cam, a locking lever, an action control cam groove and so forth. The clamper has a third feature that the conveyor and the clamper are basically constituted separately from each other to operate independently of each other through exclusive components to simplify the constructions of the conveyor and the clamper and ensure their proper operation. The clamper has a fourth feature that components having control functions including a locking function are provided to operate the clamper while always controlling it in a proper position at good timing.